Why #Hashtags Are More Than Just Annoying – Thank You Facebook!

Facebook has just begun to roll out the use of Hashtags on their platform. Did you know that they actually do serve a purpose besides being yet another tactic for tech savvy teenagers & hipsters to annoy the rest of humanity. Now that they’ve JUST become available on mobile devices (update your app) here’s why I’m happy that Facebook has joined the hashtag party.

When you post something from your computer onto Facebook now preceded by the # sign it becomes a clickable link. That link takes you to a feed of all of the other people who have posted an update with the same hashtag included. Why is this helpful?

While you are sure to find plenty of idiots who are rambling on about whatever, it does allow you access to people who are interested in the same thing you are at the same time you were interested in it. Let me give you some examples:

Instant News- During the #BostonBombings I used that hashtag to search for people who tweeted about it immediately after it happened. This allowed me instant access to information folks were sharing from the scene. That may not intrigue you but it certainly was a powerful resource for me.

Instant Info- Suppose you didn’t know what a hashtag (or some other trendy term) even was. I posted a status last night on Facebook and included #Hashtag in the post. When I clicked on it I found that one of my friends had posted the official Facebook article explaining their new roll out. *WARNING (I did a similar search a few weeks back for #Twerk on a video app called Vine because I did not know what it was. Friends, be careful what you ask for )

Instant Leads- Hashtag search functionality also can help you locate people who are talking about the products/services you currently offer. From a business standpoint, this is what really excites me. For years now I’ve used the hashtag search feature on Twitter to identify people who unwittingly let me know that they need what I offer. The fact is, most people use hashtags as a part of the social media culture but savvy businesses have been using them to identify potential customers.

For instance, a person might post: “I just hate going to the #gym. It’s always so crowded! #feelingfrustrated” A personal trainer who caters to in-home clients like my friend, Denny Krahe or a small gym owner who understands the hashtag search option now has a prospective client he/she can offer services to simply because the social media platform narrowed the conversation down to only those talking about the #gym. This method of marketing does take time and is certainly not for everyone.

Ok, what have I missed?

What are the other useful purposes for hashtags on Facebook that you know of?

What potential dangers does this new feature bring to users.

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About challengeyourfamily

I'm just a family guy with an amazing wife & 6 kids.
I love to observe, think & ask questions.
I love writing, enjoy the process, crave the finished product but ALWAYS put it off.
My wife & I work our business full-time with one another from home and help people experience physical & financial transformations.
This Blog is designed to help me sort through life. I hope it's helpful to you, as well.

Nice stuff, Rob. I also like hashtags to take finding leads a step further; to help them find you! You mentioned that you can find people looking for help by searching your hashtags, but someone may be looking for your offering and people (and internet spiders) love those hashtags for that purpose. BAM!

Thanks for sharing this post, Rob! I’m excited to be able to use hashtags on Facebook so I can further expand my brand. I’m interested to see how this will work and if it will be as effective as Twitter has been.

You’re certainly not alone, Toni. I actually stumbled my way into learning on twitter. Just start doing some searches for your product or service and look to open a conversation about it by, perhaps asking a question. In my experience, many attempts don’t lead anywhere but the more you try the ‘luckier’ you get 😉